Yay an update! This chapter is a lot lighter on the drama. This and along with next chapter are really leading up to chapter 10. I own nothing, and please enjoy.
"Mama, Papa, look!" She balanced on one foot, showing them the bala-balance act. Ever since she had seen a TV special on it, she had been into to comedy acts. She had realized that she actually loved making people laugh. It made people happy, and she knew that was good. That's when Kusu-Kusu was born. She was Rima's side that loved to make people smile, giggle, and laugh.
"It's cute Rima!" Her mother said, giggling. Rima smiled widely.
"I love it! It's perfect!" Her father said. He put his arm around Rima's mom. Rima loved her parents. She loved doing things with them. They were a perfect family… A perfect family…
Tears formed in Rima's eyes now. Her perfect family? Her parents and her were far from it. Rima wanted those good old days back; the days when her parents loved each other…
"Yum, this is good! Thanks Sanjou-San!" Kukai said his mouth full of food. Rima suddenly remembered that everyone was staying over the night.
"…You're welcome!" Yukari said, beaming. Nikaidou glared at her.
"Actually, that was me who made the waffles for you. Yukari over there should not be taking credit for others." Nikaidou pointed out.
"S-Shut up Yuu!" Yukari yelled at him. "You suck!" Thunder seemed to form in the two of their eyes. Everyone sweat dropped, and finished their breakfast.
"We should… go on an adventure!" Yaya exclaimed. Everyone looked at her. "C'mon, it would be so much fun!"
"Well, the dance is coming in two days, and we really aren't prepared enough…" Tadase reminded. "Tsukasa-San said that we'll have the dance in the cafeteria. That's about all we know…"
"Didn't we decide on a space theme?" Nagihiko wondered. His voice made Rima cringe, and start blushing.
"Nagihiko's right, I think we did!" Amu remembered. "Wow, it wasn't too long ago, but it felt like so long since we discussed this… What was it, two days only?" Rima realized she was right. It was only two days. Yet, so much seemed to happen in just two days… How was that even possible?
"We need dresses for the dance!~ Amu-Chi, Rima-Tan, dress time, NOW! Utau-Chi, want to come?" Yaya exclaimed.
"Dress shopping isn't exactly my thing, sorry." Utau muttered. "Besides, I can't, I'm, err, busy." Rima was curious about what was up, but Yaya grinned suddenly, looking at Kukai.
"Yaya can only guess where you are going..." She said, snickering. Utau stared at Yaya.
"We can go with that…" She muttered darkly. She saw who Yaya was looking back and forth at. "I'm not with him today."
"EH? You aren't?" Yaya exclaimed.
"Nope…" Kukai admitted. "I have to practice for my soccer game tomorrow. I'm the co-captain. Next year however, when the current captain graduates, the captain position will belong to me!" Kukai said grinning.
"Good for you." Nagihiko said.
"Hey! Don't you care? C'mon, you're my bestie!" Kukai moaned. Nagihiko stared at Kukai as if he was stupid.
"…Bestie? Kukai, word of note, don't say 'bestie.' It really doesn't suit you…" Nagihiko muttered. Rima noticed Amu and Yaya exchange glances.
"Fine… Well, I better get going. Buh-bye!" Kukai left the house to practice. Suddenly, Amu and Yaya started laughing.
"What's up?" Tadase asked.
"Oh Nagi, the way you said that to Kukai! I'm pretty sure you've spent too much time with Rima. That's something she would say!" Amu said. Both turned red, and Rima glared at Amu.
"Uh… well…" Nagihiko muttered, flustered. "S-Strange coincidence… I suppose. Heh…"
"COME ON! DRESS SHOPPING NOW!" Yaya grabbed Rima and Amu's arms, and dragged them.
"Good-bye?" Tadase said. Soon, they arrived at the mall. When Yaya let go, both Rima and Amu started panting.
"So, what type of dresses are we going to get?" Amu wondered.
"Whatever you guys like!" Yaya said. "Hope you guys have money!" Rima face palmed.
"Um, I don't even own a single penny anymore…" Rima muttered.
"Don't worry Rima-Tan, we'll pay for you!" Yaya reassured. Amu smiled at Rima as well. Rima stared at her friends, surprised they'd do that for her.
"…Thanks…" Rima muttered a small smile on her face. Yaya and Amu smiled as well.
"Rima, you don't even care too much about your dress anyway. We'll pick the whole thing for you, don't worry!" Rima's smile faded. Oh no, what will they pick for her? Rima felt very strangely frightened for her life.
"I heard you three were going dress shopping, so I wondered if I could join, even though I'm not dancing at your dance." All three turned, and Rima could've died.
"N-Nadeshiko!" Amu exclaimed, running over, and hugging "her." Rima grunted slightly at that. What on earth was he doing here? "It's been so long! How are you? How was Europe?" Nadeshiko smiled.
"I've missed you Amu… Europe was nice. It really is a nice place. Ah, Yaya-Chan…" Yaya had hugged her tightly, making Nadeshiko choke for breath. Rima crossed her arms, frowning at Nadeshiko.
"Yaya missed Nade-Tan! Oh, Nade, you never met Rima-Tan, did you? This is Rima! She's going out with your…" Rima covered Yaya's mouth quickly.
"No we aren't!" Rima hissed quietly. She slid her hand off Yaya's mouth, and faced Nadeshiko. She didn't smile, or even fake one.
"Rima, that's Nadeshiko, Nagihiko's twin sister. She was the queen before you." Rima could've laughed. She was "meeting" the person whom had conquered most of her thoughts these past few weeks.
"Ah, nice to meet you, Mashiro-San." Nadeshiko said, sticking her hand out.
"How do you know my last name? No one said it." Rima muttered. Nadeshiko's face paled.
"W-Well, my brother talks highly of you…" Nadeshiko muttered. She narrowed her eyes, and Rima smirked.
"Alright, you two met! Now dress shopping!" Yaya ran ahead, Amu struggling to catch up.
"Why are you here?" Rima hissed.
"I wanted to join you three, of course." Nadeshiko said a smile on her face. Rima raised her eyebrows, when Nadeshiko sighed. "It was this, or watching Kukai play soccer. Soccer was always boring in my opinion, so I chose you guys." She explained. Rima nodded.
"Well, I would've picked Kukai playing soccer…" Rima grumbled. "Yet, I don't really ever get a choice, do I?" She looked at the ground, suddenly feeling morose. Nadeshiko took her hand.
"It will all be better, don't worry." She reassured. Rima was blushing. "Trust me, Rima-Chan."
"Um, it looks awkward when you are holding my hand as Nadeshiko." Rima muttered. Nadeshiko glared at her, letting go.
"Come on!~" Yaya moaned from far away. Both of them caught up with Yaya and Amu. They walked inside a store.
"I like this dress." Amu said, holding one. It was dark blue, with laces on it. The color of the dress looked a lot like the hair of… someone Rima hated to think about. "Do you guys think Tadase would like it?" Rima looked at Amu.
"It's nice. However, Tadase would hate it." Rima said.
"Eh? Why do you say that, Rima?" Amu wondered. She looked at Rima curiously. Rima shrugged, deciding not to tell her.
"That's a dress I would like." All four of them jumped, as Ikuto walked over. Rima's heart was beating quickly. Why was Ikuto there?
"I-Ikuto! What do you want?" Amu asked, blushing.
"You." He answered.
"I'm done with you! How many times do I have to say that? I'm with Tadase-Kun! Go away, Ikuto!" Amu yelled.
"If you're done with me, why are you blushing?" Ikuto wondered.
"S-Shut up!" Amu yelled. "What you did to Rima… it's unforgivable. You broke her heart!"
"Well, she should face reality. Not everything in life is a happy fairytale. You don't one day find the prince of your dreams and run off and get married." Ikuto said. Rima was mad now.
"Excuse me? I have realized that! My life is the opposite of a fairytale! My life sucks! The only reason I went with you was to find an escape! However, you only made me worse. You showed me the only purpose of my life; to suck. Perhaps I should thank you." Rima was close to tears.
"Life sucks. Get used to it." Ikuto muttered. Rima opened her mouth to say more. "Amu, you're the only person who runs away with a prince. However, your prince isn't exactly someone you'll always want."
"I love Tadase!" Amu yelled. Ikuto's face turned dark. Rima didn't feel bad for him at all. "He's everything I ever want! I never wanted you Ikuto. You were only an interference!"
"You'll regret that…" Ikuto whispered. "One day, Amu Hinamori, you will realize you love me. It will be too late though." Amu's eyes widened, as Ikuto stepped closer to her. He leaned in close to her, and then stopped. He turned to Rima. "It's stupid for you to stay attracted to me."
"I'm not attracted to you!" Rima yelled. "I've moved on! I'm with… him!" Rima nodded towards Nagihiko, forgetting he was dressed as Nadeshiko.
"Him? Doesn't look too much like a girl. Oh well… Good bye, Amu." Ikuto hopped off. Amu watched him, her eyes shaking. Not that she was ever in a good mood, but Rima was in an even worse mood. She really hoped that what she sad about not being attracted to him was true.
"…Ikuto…" Amu muttered, unsure of what to do.
"Awkward silence!" Yaya yelled. Nadeshiko sweat dropped. "Hey Rima-Tan, why did you call Nade-Chan a boy? She's a girl!" Nadeshiko's face paled.
"Uh, well, I guess I should tell you two something…" Yaya and Amu looked at her. "I'm not exactly who you think I am…"
"Y-You're a boy?" Amu exclaimed. Her face was dark still, but she looked shocked.
"Precisely, but there's more to it that I'm sure you can figure out yourself. Rima-Chan can explain the rest to you." He winked at her, making her blush. "I should practice my dancing a bit. Have fun dress shopping!" Nagihiko began to walk away.
"Uh, Rima-Tan… was Nade-Tan always a boy?" Rima turned to Yaya, no emotion on her face.
"Yes. You're really slow. Nadeshiko and Nagihiko, they aren't twins. They are…"
"The same person…" Amu finished. "Oh my… W-Why hasn't he told us? Why only you Rima?"
"He didn't tell me on purpose. I found out myself. We did a purification together and purified X-Eggs. He transformed with Temari when she hatched out of her egg and we performed Queen's Waltz. No big deal." Rima muttered. She didn't want to talk about Nagihiko. She was blushing, remembering their purification. "That was when I started liking him…"
"Why… did he dress as a girl?" Amu wondered.
"I think he had to. It's a part of his family tradition or something of that sort." Rima muttered. "A-Anyway, can we look for dresses?" Amu ended up buying the dress she found, even though Ikuto had liked it.
"Yaya wants a dress! We also need to buy Rima-Tan a dress!" Yaya moaned. A small smile crept on Amu's face.
"It will be fun!" Amu said, smiling. They continued looking for dresses. After a few minutes, Yaya found a dress. It was lavender, and knee-length.
"Yaya loves it!" Yaya exclaimed. Now it was time to find Rima a dress. Rima really didn't care, as long as it wasn't really short.
"Hey Yaya, do you think this would fit Rima?" Amu wondered, showing Yaya the dress she was talking about. It was black and white striped, and also knee-length.
"No." Yaya said bluntly. "Rima-Tan needs a longer dress!"
"…Why?" Rima wondered.
"It would look better on you! Just not too long, because we don't want Rima-Tan to trip!" Rima narrowed her eyes.
"Oh my gosh… This dress is so pretty!" Amu exclaimed, picking it up. It was light green, and it nearly sparkled. It was pretty, but almost too pretty.
"No, not for Rima-Tan!" Yaya moaned. "Nothing in here is good for Rima!"
"Yaya, aren't you being a little picky?" Rima wondered. "It's just one dress I'll probably never wear again…"
"No! Rima-Tan needs a perfect dress… Ah, Rima-Tan doesn't need to shop for a dress!" Both Amu and Rima looked at Yaya, confused. "Amu-Chi, your chara can create dresses, right? Amu's eyes lit up.
"Y-You're right! Miki can create dresses!" Miki smiled, floating up. "Let's go back to my place! We can create a perfect dress for Rima!" Yaya and Rima nodded, as they followed Amu back to her house. "Wow, I still can't get over Nagihiko and Nadeshiko being the same person… It's so weird! Why wouldn't he tell me?" Amu wondered.
"Uh… Nagihiko is a boy…right? Or is he a girl?" Yaya wondered. Rima stared at Yaya.
"Yaya, didn't I already say he's a boy? I'm straight. I wouldn't…" Rima turned pink, then coughed. "A-Anyway, what's up with this dress?"
"Hm… Yaya was thinking light blue!" Yaya said. "A long dress, but above her shoes. Miki started sketching. "She needs a matching headpiece too!" Yaya peered at Miki's artwork. "That's perfect!" Miki made the sketch life size. The three girls stared at it. "Yaya loves it! Rima-Tan, what do you think?"
"It's…beautiful." She whispered, in awe. It was her size.
"Rima, you're going to look beautiful! Expect many guys to ask you to dance." Amu said, winking. Rima sighed. That was nothing new.
"Whatever…" Rima muttered. "I should get back to Sanjou-San's place. Bye." Rima began to walk to her new home, holding the dress in a bag. It was beautiful. Rima couldn't deny it. However, it was over the top. She was also holding matching silver shoes. They were pretty. The headpiece was silver as well, looking like her usual headband, but silver. She walked inside Yukari's house.
"Is that the dress?" Utau wondered, as she sat on the couch.
"Yeah. Miki made it." Rima said. She took it out of the bag.
"It's nice, but isn't it a little formal just for a little dance? I mean, no offense, but your dance isn't much of a big deal." Utau said.
"I agree… Try telling Amu and Yaya that." Rima muttered.
"Wow, what a beautiful dress! Amu's chara made that?" Yukari exclaimed.
"Yup." Rima muttered.
"I'll hang it up. When's the dance, tomorrow night?" Rima nodded again. Yukari took the dress, and went to hang it up.
"Princess Rima!" Kusu-Kusu teased. Rima glared at her chara.
"Shut up." Rima muttered. She pushed the hair to the front of her. For the rest of the day, Rima watched TV and talked to Utau and Kairi. Finally, it was nighttime.
"Good night Rima-Tan! Tomorrow we go back to school and it's the dance!"
"Night." Rima whispered, going to sleep.
You can view the picture of her dress on my profile. Just imagine that the size of that dress is smaller and can fit Rima. By the way, school starts tomorrow for me, so my updates will be even less common. So, please rate and review!